HAMMOND – Whitney Curry won 11 individual high school state championships and was part of six team titles with St. Thomas Aquinas, propelling her to a spot on the Wake Forest cross country team. Four years later, bachelor's degree in hand, she's back home to run for the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions.
Curry will complete her college eligibility this season with Southeastern as a graduate student, pursuing a master's in biology. Her first race in green and gold is Friday, as the men's and women's cross country teams travel to Lake Charles for the McNeese State Distance Relay.
For Curry, the most gratifying aspect of running for her hometown university is the chance for her family to watch her compete more often.
“My parents were able to come up to a few meets in the ACC, but for the majority, they couldn't be there.” Curry said. “Coming back home feels good. I feel like everything has come full circle. I started off here, went away, and was able to come back. It's something I never thought I'd do.”
With a solid line-up already in place, including senior Naomi Jeruto and sophomore Bethany Burst, the addition of Curry makes the Lady Lions an even more formidable contender for a Southland Conference championship. Head coach Sean Brady likened it to the addition of a veteran free agent in professional sports.
“Whitney is a tremendous leader,” Brady said. “I saw that on day one when we went to training camp. She leads by example and is also a very vocal leader. She understands the pitfalls along the way as a distance runner. Our women's group desperately needed someone like her.”
On the men's side, senior Henry Rop leads the way. The 2009 Southland Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year finished ninth in last season's conference championships, before wrapping things up with a 20th place effort at the NCAA regional meet.
The McNeese State Distance Relay is a 6K event, with runners pairing up into two-person teams. It begins at 6 p.m. at the MSU recreation complex, located on the Lake Street extension. In addition to the home-standing Cowboys and Cowgirls, Southeastern will compete against student-athletes from Southern, Nicholls and Louisiana-Lafayette.
